Amin Amirkia Memorial Site

My azizam Amin jon,

I want to put in writing how your departure to realm beyond has changed my life.

In life, we witness so many things happen to the people around us. Lots of changes, surprises, accidents, successes, falls or sometimes we even see unbelievable moments that it is not for us, it is usually for others. Then suddenly out of nowhere something happens and we become one of those others. I have realized that in life no one is exempt and no one is immune. Anything at any time could happen to anyone. Since you have left us I do look through life differently. The meaning of life has changed for me. The purpose of life has changed for me. Even my prayers to God and the way I commune with God have changed for me.

My dear son, it was not our plan in this life for you go to the land of mystery ahead of us.  This Godly plan was arranged for us and I have accepted this arrangement with absolute humility because I do believe there is a reason behind anything comes from the Almighty. Your departure has opened my eyes to a different world and this new world is precious because you are the one who brought it to me. Anything from you is priceless for me. Now I know life is so fragile, unpredictable and full of surprises and challenges. Life has reminded me in a rough way that I have to be armed by faith to be able to survive throughout the storms of unpleasant events. Since your departure I have felt the assistance of Baha’u’llah in a way that I have never felt it before.  I truly feel that I am not left out by myself . An invisible force has assisted me from the first moment I heard about your news till now. It was truly impossible for me to get to this point just by myself. Occasionally we feel if we are so determined we are able to overcome any challenges and move forward. What an empty thought. Without His assistance and His grace we are not able to go forward even one step.

I have noticed since your absence the most repeated words for me has been “My God”. Whenever I want to escape from my sorrows I indeed get the security just by calling Him. It is like a child who is looking for comfort and being in need of getting refuge to the arms of their parents.  After October 6^th 2012 my life has changed profoundly. As a mother I am dying to know where did go and how are you doing and what has happened to you. I am extremely fascinated by life after this life. The life and the world that Baha’u’llah has promised us is much better than earthly life. I am happy for you to be in a better place but as a mother I do miss you so very much.

My dearest son, when I write to you I feel your presence and it gives me great comfort and patience. I look forward to a day that I can see you and hold you in my arms.

Love you always,
Mom

It has been a while that updates were posted on this site.  While Amin is no longer in this physical sphere, his memory is still fresh with us and it continues to influence and guide family and friends in so many ways.  As such, he is still with us and so near and dear to our hearts and minds.

We previously reported on the memorial gathering for Amin in November 2013 in his hometown of Bellevue, Washington, USA.  While we received the program information and videos for this event some time ago, regretfully we did not get a chance to post these until now.  We hope to share more of the videos as they get uploaded.  Below is the video of the beautiful talk on “Life after Life” by Mr. Todd Kutches, alongside whom Amin had the privilege of serving the Baha’i Faith.

As reported earlier, a beautiful memorial ceremony was held in Bellevue, Washington to commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of Amin John.  Nearly 300 family and friends joined Amin’s parents in prayers, stories and reminisces of beloved Amin.  We hope to share some of the presentations and talks in video format later but below are some photos from this gathering which we hope you enjoy in loving memory of dearest Amin.

The following note was received on the anniversary of Amin’s birthday (December 17) from his friend Y. Sheng in China.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Amirkia,

Today is Amin’s birthday and I just want to thank you both on this special day for raising someone like Amin.

It has been a whole year since I started Ruhi course with Sheri. Every time I tell the story about how I got to know and became a Baha’i, I think of Amin. I feel so lucky that he was the one brought Baha’i Faith to me. And then it was his passing that made me become a Baha’i. It is strange that the best gift comes from the deepest sorrow. If it weren’t his passing, I wouldn’t have known so many wonderful things about him from his families and friends, I wouldn’t be amazed by how people knew him since childhood and  those who only briefly met him spoke so high about him. If it weren’t such loss and sadness, I wouldn’t have read over and over every word on his memorial website and got deeply attracted by the beautiful Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and drown into them. I guess in a mysterious way, Amin is still serving his Faith in this earthly world, in China – the land he dedicated his life to, even though he is not physically here anymore.

I loved it that you said in your letter “But after our pilgrimage it became more and more apparent and easier to realize and comprehend the wisdom of the Almighty that if it was Amin’s destiny which it was, how beautiful, gracious and timely he has left us. Precious memories, pride and good name of Amin jan will last with us till eternity.  Through his pure soul Amin has achieved his mission in this life and for certain we all are delighted for him”. And I also loved it that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote “Following this separation is everlasting companionship.”

Amin and your family will always be in my prayers.

Our Dear Amin jan,

Happy birthday. Today is your earthly birthday and you would be 32. We have celebrated your birthday by praying for you and remembering your beautiful memories. Our dear one, your memories are so precious to us. You have touched so many lives and you do live in our heart forever.

All our love to you,

Dad, Mom, Laila and Vafa,

The following slideshow of Amin’s life was prepared ahead of the memorial planned for him in Bellevue this weekend.  We hope that you enjoy these nice memories of dearest Amin whom we all miss a great deal.

Below are pictures from the beautiful memorial for Amin with family and friends in Bellevue, Washington earlier this month.

Dearest Friends and Families,

Visiting the Holy Land on the first anniversary of our dear Amin jan’s departure was a heavenly balm on our broken heart.  A heart that no matter how well we try to mend it, the cracks will still be visible and never be the same.  At the Bahá’í Holy places we were praying to have a bigger heart to be able to accept the unexpected events in our life.  A heart to be capable to keep the love of life at all times under all conditions and a heart to be appreciative towards all the bounties which have been bestowed and showered upon us easily and freely.

All of you were in our prayers. We have bowed down our head at the Threshold of our Beloved and prayed for each one of you to be healthy, successful and happy in life and best of all to be able to serve the Faith and last but not the least for love and unity among all of us as always.

A year has passed and we did our best to keep the gate of our heart open to let the faith comes in. Dear Amin lives in the heart of each one of us till eternity. Sometimes we feel how sudden and how unexpected Amin has left us and how untimely it was.  But after our pilgrimage it became more and more apparent and easier to realize and comprehend the wisdom of the Almighty that if it was Amin’s destiny which it was, how beautiful, gracious and timely he has left us. Precious memories, pride and good name of Amin jan will last with us till eternity.  Through his pure soul Amin has achieved his mission in this life and for certain we all are delighted for him.

Since last October each one of you have given us unconditional and unlimited support and endless love.  How fortunate we are to have friends and families like you and we indeed value it as a precious gem.  Please accept our deepest and sincerest appreciations and gratitude.

Love you all,

Shidfar & Farzaneh

We have received a beautiful tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá titled the Tablet of Saboktakeen.  Addressed to the youth of Ishqabad, Russia on July 23, 1914, in it ‘Abdu’l-Bahá praises these youth for asking their parents to donate whatever money was to be bequeathed to them towards the construction of the House of Worship in ‘Ishqábád.  We are not aware of an English translation.  In the tablet, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá retells the youth the story of a king named Saboktakeen and his regrets after a life in pursuit of earthly pleasures and praises the youth for the sacrifices they have made.  The following from Star of the West, Volume 9 – Issue 18 details more about Saboktakeen’s fate:

“THE WORLDLY KING’S LAMENT. It is related that Saboktakeen, one of the renowned ancient kings of Persia, lived in the utmost grandeur and splendor. His palace was like unto the delectable paradise, and his table was provided with royal bounty and his life was like unto a stream of milk and honey. His treasuries were full and his riches unlimited. He was in the utmost joy and happiness. Suddenly he was attacked with a malady and was burning away like unto a candle, and with Jeremiads of disappointments he Was singing the most mournful tunes. When he became hopeless of this life, three days before his death, he commanded all his chamberlains, wearing golden girdles, to form a long line, and ordered all the ladies-in-waiting to present themselves before him. His treasures and all his precious jewels were on display before his eyes, and his accumulated Wealth was arrayed in dazzling fashion. Then he invited his ministers, courtiers and statesmen to be present in the throne room on a certain hour, and asked his immense army to be engaged in the maneuvers of victory and triumph in the military square in front of the palace. While sitting on his throne, he looked regretfully, now on this scene, now on another, and again on all this matchless array of grandeur and magnificence and wept most bitterly, crying aloud: “O! Thy must I be deprived of this imperial sovereignty and these royal prerogatives? Why should I not enjoy this life? Why bid farewell to all these things? How can I leave them behind and hasten empty-handed from this world to another World?” He wept and wept till he drew his last breath”

(From Diary of Mirza. Ahmad Sohrab, July 25, 1914.)

In the below recording from August 1, 1991, Amin’s great uncle chants this beautiful tablet in Persian for Amin’s father and in memory of Amin’s grandfather who often chanted this tablet.

And below is the original tablet in Persian and it can also be found here.

Some dear family friends sent the following note and account of the memorial in Beijing to Amin’s parents.

How sweet and generous of you both to remember us and our family in your prayers during the precious days of your pilgrimage to the Most Holy Land. Deepest appreciation and gratitude are in order. Thank you so very much!

 In the realm of the reality of life, how wonderful that you could be physically at the Threshold of the Beloved in the Most Holy Land to bow down your heads in acceptance of His incomprehensible wisdom. “He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth.” You have followed the beloved Master’s council: “Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.”

The memorial meeting for Amin jon was a privilege to share in his honor and on your behalf. It was a very special night. Your presence was felt strongly as well. The love that was poured out for Amin jon and his memory by those who had, in their own words “the privilege” of meeting him was also directed at you both for having raised such a “pure”, “loving”, “polite”, and “considerate gentleman”. One friend said: “He had such a pure soul that he was too good for this world.” Several friends said that they wished to have the privilege of meeting Amin’s parents. It is said that a “fruit does not fall far from the tree.”

Sometimes, one wonders that Amin jon was probably called to join, with his grandfather and grand aunt, the concourse on high to assist his sweet brother in his services in the land they both dedicated their lives to. A land where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself had wished to travel to.

Our hearts join your aching hearts to celebrate Amin jon’s  memories. May the Almighty’s grace surround you in every way and strengthen your faith and dedication to His benevolent Cause!

Below is another beautiful Baha’i prayer chanted in Persian along with photos of Amin.  Thanks to a dear family member for putting this together in memory of Amin.